This invention relates generally to placemats of the type used in setting a table, and more particularly, to a rigid placemat adaptable for use with a plurality of covers, the covers being indicative of selectable occasions, places of business, or particular individuals or groups of persons.
Conventional table placements are known to be formed of either flexible or rigid materials. Known flexible table placemats are formed of cloth, flexible plastic, or woven wood. Cloth table placemats must be washed often, causing them to shrink and deform, thereby requiring such cloth placemats to be ironed or pressed after washing. The need for such ironing or pressing increases the labor and energy costs associated with the use of cloth placemats.
Although table placemats formed of flexible plastic materials are easy to clean, such placemats are generally not used in formal environments. In addition, the ornamentation or visual aspect of the plastic placemat is fixed in the material, thereby limiting the adaptability of such placemat for special occasions, or to identify businesses or persons.
A further type of flexible placemat is formed of woven strips of flexible wood, in the form of a basketweave. Flexible wooden placemats are difficult to store, difficult to clean, and subject to deformation after repeated use or improper storage. In addition, the ornamental aspect of such placemats is not adaptable to specialized uses, as described with respect to the plastic placemats.
The prior art has thrust at the problem of placemat deformation by providing rigid placemats which may be formed of metal, wood, or rigid plastic. Generally, the visual aspect of such rigid placemats is fixed, thereby requiring many such rigid placemats to be purchased and stored if adaptability of the visual aspect of the placemats to particular occasions is desired. Thus, occasion-specialized or personalized placemats are prohibitively expensive to purchase and store, particularly for large restaurants, or residences with limited storage space.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improved placemat having an advantageously adjustable visual aspect.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a placemat which is rigid and has a cloth, or cloth-like, covering so as to be suitable for formal eating environments.
It is another object of this invention to provide a rigid placemat having a cover which is easily removed for laundering.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a rigid placemat arrangement which requires a relatively rigid base member for use in conjunction with a relatively large number of covering materials having the desired visual aspects.